About 300 people demand moorings in Portocolom to protect traditional boats

PortocolomAbout 300 people gathered this Saturday at the Plaça de Sant Jaume in Portocolom to demand measures that guarantee the continuity of traditional wooden boats. The protest, called by the Association of Traditional Boats of Portocolom, focused on the need to ensure permanent moorings and rates adapted to the heritage value of these vessels.

During the event, journalist from Felanitx Andreu Manresa read the entity's manifesto, which warns of the situation of a heritage it considers at risk. Portocolom currently preserves 197 traditional vessels, more than a third of those remaining in Mallorca.

The association questions the conditions set by Ports de les Illes Balears for the restored boat sheds. The first authorizations establish an annual fee of 2,862 euros, but only allow the boats to be kept in the water for four months at sa Bassa Nova 1 and six months at es Babo. The owners warn that these conditions may be unaffordable for many families and that keeping a wooden boat on dry land for months can accelerate its deterioration.

The protest also vindicated the work of the boat builders and the families who have preserved these boats for generations. The entity demands that spaces such as es Rivetó, sa Bassa Nova, es Babo or ca Colònia do not end up managed solely with commercial criteria and asks for priority for traditional vessels.

Among its demands are safe moorings throughout the year, social rates, preference for wooden boats, and space for smaller vessels. "Because we will never tire of looking at a 'llaüt' moored where it belongs," concludes the manifesto.

The rain forced the mobilization to be shortened, which also included 'gloses' by Maribel Servera and Pau Riera "Descalç" and a popular dance with the Es Convent Dance School.